If you thought Baja was just a quick and easy way to get a tan at an all-inclusive resort, you’re not alone, but you’re not entirely correct. I spent a week getting to know one of Baja’s new hot spots that still has its charm, although it’s increasing in popularity. From the beginning, my expectations where blown away. The drive from the airport was absolutely stunning, a desert filled landscape with more cactus than I could have dreamed of speckled abundantly throughout the dry, hard porous terrain. No all inclusive hotels in sight. Only cactus and open road.

baja-zen by ben crosky

And if you thought Baja was just about laying on the beach like I did, then you’ll be blown away by the dramatic Sierra de Laguna mountains that frame the desert and give the sun, moon and stars a perfect playground to rise, fall and dance every day. The sunsets echo the kind of jaw-dropping scenes that you would find in Santa Fe or Moab, with a bright beginning that transitions over and over and over again into softer and softer pallets, eventually fading into a delicious purple that seems made for a sweet transition between the hot desert days into the cool nights. And those nights, with stars seem to have exploded just then, just for you to see, to give you some sort of answer to the questions you didn’t know you had while the day was still bright, there’s nothing like them. And the sunrises, with that warm desert light that begins to glow from behind the sierras and then peaks through to light up the cactus and desert trees, then trickles all the way to the ocean like the water of a hot shower after a cold night moves from your head to your toes in bone warming waves.

If I told you that all this is combined the daily sighting of multiple whales just offshore, spraying from their blow holes and breaching with huge splashes, would you believe me? It’s true, and there’s more, like swimming with whale sharks as they feed and slowly swim just beneath the surface. What a gift to have this all in one place. To be so confronted with so much nature, takes us out of own internal journey enough to remind us that we are part of something bigger and more beautiful than we alone can make. What a gift to be in a place where the wise mountains flow into the rugged desert, where the desert rolls into the sea, where the sea is home to birthing whales that jump out of the water in front of a mesmerizing sunset that touches every color that exists. What a gift to be in a place so full of life and light, of colors and textures, of delicious food and farming paired with the feeling of being totally wild. What a gift to rest in a daily ritual of expectations being blown away. What gift to be held in a place that is home to our most wild heart.

photos by @jillianguyette

How to get there and when to go

It’s super easy to fly into San Jose Del Cabo/Los Cabos International Airport. From there the best way to get to Todos is to rent a car. A car for a week can be cheaper than a taxi one way so there’s really no reason not to. Todos is about 1.5 hours from Los Cabos with the new toll road (70 pesos).

Go during the winter months, while the whales are still breeding (Dec-April) and before the summer heat and bugs come back in full force. We went in January and loved it.

La Bohemia – If this place has empty rooms, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. The owners did an incredible job renovating an old farm to maintain a unique charm while weaving design elements from around the world into the same space.

Todos Santos Inn – A gorgeous renovation makes this one of the best places to be transported to another time. The whole experience feels like being part of an installation aimed at making you feel like you’re in your most artsy kind of dream home. Being home to Copa Cocina is not a bad bonus either.

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Swim with whale sharks & whale watching – We went with Sunrider tours and had an amazing time!

Bringing together his passion for yoga, food, travel, community, healing and adventure was the original drive behind Ben’s passion for leading yoga retreats. However, the life changing transformation that takes place as a result of this coming together of these things is what truly inspires him.

Living in Oakland, CA, Ben now splits his time between the behind the scenes creation of YOGASCAPES experiences and being the onsite retreat guide. He is also very much involved in the vibrant food scene of the Bay Area and can be found on weekends hosting WILDSOUL’S monthly mouth watering breakfast clubs and farm to table yoga retreats.